Telecommunications networks often use enclosures for containing and protecting telecommunications equipment (e.g., splice locations, splitters, multi-plexers, connection panels, etc.). Enclosures used in outside environments are desirably sealed to prevent moisture intrusion. Gel seals have worked extremely well for providing perimeter seals between bases and covers of enclosures and for providing seals at any other type of interface between housing pieces of an enclosure. An example gel sealed enclosure is disclosed at U.S. Pat. No. 7,603,018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In such gel seals, gels are typically contained within a channel defined by either the base or the cover of the enclosure. The gels are installed in the channels by injection molding processes. Such processes involve mating the piece of the enclosure defining the channel to a matching injection mold piece such that the two pieces cooperate to define an injection cavity. The gel is then injected into the cavity and assumes the shape of the cavity. A problem with this type of process is that every time a new enclosure is designed or an existing enclosure is changed, a corresponding new injection mold also needs to be made. This increases cost and can lengthen the time required to introduce a new enclosure design. Also, due to issues relating to post-injection gel shrinkage, gel height-to-width ratios that can be achieved using injection molding processes are limited.